The Most Often Quoted Verses JOHN 8: 24 and 8: 58

The following is a response to the claims set forth by Meherally against the Gospel
of John which can be found here.

Meherally writes - as usual very colorful and in huge letters
(to give his writings more authority?) :

The Most Often Quoted

Verses JOHN 8: 24 and 8: 58Jesus did not say"I AM He - (the God)"Jesus said"I AM he - (the Messiah)"See the scanned pages of the Bible,learn the Gospel Truthand Abide by the Spoken Words ofCHRIST JESUSif you do claim to be a CHRISTIAN and affirm to be a true disciple of CHRIST.

The dictionary meaning of the word 'Christ' reads:

"the anointed king or Messiah of Jewish
prophecy"

RESPONSE:

As we shall see the context of John 8 refutes any notion that Jesus was simply claiming
to be the Messiah. Meherally's obfuscation does nothing to undermine the significance
these passages have in establishing the Deity of Christ. Secondly, we are glad that
Meherally approvingly cites the dictionary meaning that "Christ" refers to
"the anointed king or Messiah of JEWISH PROPHECY" since this will thoroughly
refute Meherally's assertions, as we shall shortly demonstrate.

MEHERALLY:

The Gospel according to John Chapter 4

Note: Jesus came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar. He was wearied from his
journey and was sitting by a well. His disciples had gone into the city to buy food. A
Samaritan Woman comes to draw water from that well. Jesus asked the woman to give him some
water to drink. When Jesus informed the woman she was a window and had five husbands, the
surprised woman said to Jesus:

"Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."

The story now continues in the scanned page below.Read the response by Jesus to this Samaritan Woman. (The hand written noted on the sides are for my personal references).

Please read the hi-lighted text carefully

and notice the word "he" is in the italics.Jesus clearly acknowledged and declared to the woman~He was the Messiah - the Christ~ who was to come as per the Jewish beliefs.Those who claim otherwise are indeed telling us to understand that Jesus did speak a LIE before the Samaritan Woman.

RESPONSE:

Here is the context which Meherally conveniently overlooked:

"Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you
for a drink, you would have asked him AND HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU LIVING WATER ...
Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever
drinks the water I GIVE HIM will never thirst. Indeed, the water I GIVE HIM
will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:10, 13-14

Amazingly, Jesus claims to perform divine functions:

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken ME, the spring of living
water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
Jeremiah 2:13

"O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who
turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD,the spring of living water." Jeremiah 17:13

And:

"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's
testimony, He told me everything I ever did. So when the Samaritans came to
him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words
many more became believers. They said to the woman, We no longer believe just
because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know THAT THIS
MAN REALLY IS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD." John 4:39-42

These passages affirm that Jesus as the Messiah gives eternal life and is the Savior of
the world. Now let us contrast this with the Islamic portrait of Muhammad:

Say: "I am not an innovation among the messengers, nor do I know what will be
done with me or with you. I follow but that which is revealed to me by inspiration; I
am but a Warner open and clear." S. 46:9

And surely they had purposed to turn you away from that which We have revealed to
you, that you should forge against Us other than that, and then they would certainly
have taken you for a friend. And had it not been that We had already established you, you
would certainly have been near to incline to them a little; In that case We would
certainly have made you to taste a double (punishment) in this life and a double
(punishment) after death, then you would not have found any helper against Us.
17:73-75 Shakir

Say: I do not control any benefit or harm for my own soul except as Allah please;
and had I known the unseen I would have had much of good and no evil would have touched
me; I am nothing but a warner and the giver of good news to a people who believe.
7:188 Shakir

Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The good deeds of any person will not make him
enter Paradise." (i.e., None can enter Paradise through his good deeds.) They (the
Prophet's companions) said, 'Not even you, O Allah's Apostle?' He said, "Not even
myself, unless Allah bestows His favor and mercy on me." So be moderate in your
religious deeds and do the deeds that are within your ability: and none of you should wish
for death, for if he is a good doer, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil
doer, he may repent to Allah." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 70, Number 577; see
also Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 470)

Narrated 'Um al-'Ala:
An Ansari woman who gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet that the Ansar drew
lots concerning the dwelling of the Emigrants. 'Uthman bin Maz'un was decided to dwell
with them (i.e. Um al-'Ala's family), 'Uthman fell ill and I nursed him till he died, and
we covered him with his clothes. Then the Prophet came to us and I (addressing the dead
body) said, "O Abu As-Sa'ib, may Allah's Mercy be on you! I bear witness that Allah
has honored you." On that the Prophet said, "How do you know that Allah has
honored him?" I replied, "I do not know. May my father and
my mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Apostle! But who else is worthy of it (if not
'Uthman)?" He said, "As to him, by Allah, death has overtaken him, and I hope
the best for him. By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what
Allah will do to me," By Allah, I will never assert the piety of anyone after
him. That made me sad, and when I slept I saw in a dream a flowing stream for 'Uthman bin
Maz'un. I went to Allah's Apostle and told him of it. He remarked, "That symbolizes
his (good) deeds." (Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266)

These passages show that Muhammad couldn't benefit either himself or others. This
is unlike our risen Lord Jesus Christ who could guarantee salvation and give eternal life.

MEHERALLY:

The Gospel according to John Chapter 8

Note: Please note in Verse 24 below, Jesus is repeating the phrase that he had
spoken earlier before the Samaritan Woman in John 4: 25-26. Please notice that the editors
of the Bible have stated that, most authorities connect this Verse 24 to Ex. 3:14. God
said to prophet Moses in Exodus 3: 14:

"I AM THAT I AM"

This connection (deduction) is negated, four verses later in Verse 28. No God would Declare:"I am He (GOD)" But, I can do nothing on My own initiative... And, he had a teacher who taught him what to speak...

RESPONSE:

Presumably, Meherally is erroneously assuming that since Jesus repeated the same phrase
from 4:26 this somehow refutes that Jesus was claiming to be Deity. Meherally fails to
realize that words and phrases have different meanings in different contexts. Let us examine
the context to see the manner in which Jesus used the phrase:

"You do not know me or my Father, Jesus replied. If you
knew me, you would know my Father also. He spoke these words while teaching
in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him,
because his time had not yet come. Once more Jesus said to them, I am going away,
and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.
This made the Jews ask, Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, "Where I go,
you cannot come"? But he continued, You are from below; I am from
above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would
die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am, you will indeed die in your
sins ... Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me, for I
came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me."
John 8:20-24, 42

The I AM refers back to Jesus' claim that he is from above (i.e. heaven) and that
God is his Father. In other words, Jesus is claiming to be the divine preexistent Son of
God that came down from heaven and unless a person believes this he will die in his sins.
Jesus makes this very same point elsewhere:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not SEND his Son INTO
THE WORLD to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 3:16-18

Second, Meherally erroneously assumes that Jesus' claim that he does nothing of his
own initiative and that he was being commanded what to say refutes the idea that Jesus
is God. Yet, all this shows is Meherally's ignorance of Trinitarian theology. Being
told what to say or taught implies that the Father and the Son are distinct Persons,
precisely what the Trinity teaches. Since they are distinct Persons they communicate and
have fellowship with one another. This communication and fellowship has been going
on from all eternity since all the members of the Godhead are eternal. (Cf. John 1:1-3, 17:5;
Romans 16:26; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 1:1-3, 5:20)

Meherally has a note on his scanned page of John 8 where he claims that Jesus'
statement in 8:36 regarding the Son setting sinners free refers to Jesus as a son of
Abraham and points to verse 33 as proof. Amazingly, Meherally chooses to ignore the
overall context which shows that Jesus was referring to himself as the Son of God, not as
a son of Abraham:

"But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not
alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the
testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the
Father, who sent me. Then they asked him, Where is your father?; You
do not know me or MY FATHER, Jesus replied. If you knew me, you would
know MY FATHER also. He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area
near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had
not yet come. ... They did not understand that he was telling them about HIS
FATHER." John 8:16-20, 27

"The Jews answered him, Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan
and demon-possessed? I am not possessed by a demon, said Jesus,
but I honor MY FATHER and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself;
but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. I tell you the truth, if anyone
keeps my word, he will never see death. At this the Jews exclaimed, Now we
know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that
if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than OUR FATHER
Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are? Jesus replied,
If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. MY FATHER, whom you claim as your
God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I
did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. YOUR FATHER
Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
John 8:48-56

It is interesting to note that Jesus does not say "our father Abraham" or
"my father Abraham", but "YOUR father Abraham". The reason
why Jesus doesn't call Abraham his father is due to the fact that God is his Father and that
he is greater than Abraham, since the latter rejoiced at the thought of seeing Jesus' day.

MEHERALLY:

The Gospel according to John Chapter 8

Note: Please note in Verse 58 below, Jesus is simply repeating the phrase that
he had spoken in the earlier verses. He was a MESSIAH -- CHRIST.

RESPONSE:

Let us insert the word "Messiah" into the text and see if Meherally's claim
holds any weight:

"'Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and
was glad.' 'You are not yet fifty years old,' the Jews said to him, 'and you have seen
Abraham!' 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am the
Messiah!'" John 8:56-59

Jesus is responding to the Jews' question regarding how it could have been possible
for him to have seen Abraham seeing that the latter was dead for nearly twenty centuries.
Christ responds by claiming that he existed even before Abraham ever came into being.
Taking Meherally's claim seriously we would end up with Jesus claiming to have existed as
the Messiah even before Abraham was ever born!

a) Jesus was consecrated (anointed) by God before he was
born and so was prophet Jeremiah. The Bible records, God came to prophet Jeremiah and said
to him; "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jer. 1:5.

God

"loved" his chosen prophets before they
were born. The Bible confirms; God "loved" Jesus before the foundation of
the world. (Jn. 17:24). This act of loving by an entity called God, undoubtedly proves that Jesus was not God "Himself", before he was
born or after he was born. Jesus was a distinctly separate entity that was "being loved" by God,
records this verse for the people who are upright and open minded.
(Source)

Meherally is guilty of a false analogy since Jeremiah and John 8 are not at all
parallel. Although it is true that God both knew and loved his chosen people like Jeremiah
before they were even born, it is not true that this is what Jesus was saying in John 8:58.
Note that Jeremiah did not say that he existed with God even before he had been
formed in the womb, nor did Jesus say that before Abraham was born God KNEW Christ.
Rather, Christ explicitly states that he already existed even before Abraham ever came
into being.

Furthermore, it makes absolutely no sense to say that Jesus was simply stating that God
knew him before Abraham was born since God had also known and chosen Abraham even
before his birth. This also ignores the context of Jesus' statement which was given in
response to the question of how he could have actually seen Abraham.

Finally, Meherally's claim that since God loved Jesus before the creation of the
world proves that Jesus is not God is erroneous to say the least. Meherally assumes that
the term God has only one referent in every context, namely the Father. Yet the term God
is applied to different persons in different contexts. Cf. John 1:1, 20:28; Acts 5:3-4;
Romans 9:5; Hebrews 1:8-9; 1 John 5:20; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1

In John 17:24 Jesus was praying to the Father. Hence, John 17:24 only proves that
Jesus IS NOT THE FATHER, precisely what the Trinity teaches. It does nothing to disprove
that Jesus is God. More on this below.

Meherally is therefore guilty of assuming what he has yet to prove, namely that only
the Father is God or that God is a uni-Personal Being as opposed to being tri-Personal.

As it stands, John 8:58 is one of the strongest and clearest NT passages establishing
the eternal existence and absolute Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. For a more detailed
discussion we recommend the following articles: [1] ,
[2].

MEHERALLY:

If Jesus had indeed declared before these Jews:

"I am He (GOD)"

would He then hide Himself from these mortal men when they picked up stones to
kill him? Jesus the Messiah has already in explicit possible terms declared who was the
ONLY TRUE GOD. And, he was a Messenger that had accomplished the work of glorifying the
TRUE GOD which was entrusted to him by his God.

RESPONSE:

Meherally is seemingly implying that Jesus was afraid of the crowd and therefore hid
himself. Here is the verse in question:

"At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself,
slipping away from the temple grounds." John 8:59

Does this passage prove that Jesus hid himself because he was afraid? Or does it
actually affirm Jesus' sovereign power and control over his environment and the people
around him, being able to slip through their midst at will? Let us read the following
verses for the answer:

"You do not know me or my Father, Jesus replied. If you knew me,
you would know my Father also. He spoke these words while teaching in the temple
area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, BECAUSE HIS
TIME HAD NOT YET COME." John 8:20

The context shows that the reason why Jesus hid himself was not because he was afraid,
but because it was not his time to die. This is why he could slip through the temple
grounds without anyone seizing him.

"At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, 'Isn't this the man
they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to
him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? But we know where this
man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.' Then Jesus, still
teaching in the temple courts, cried out, 'Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from.
I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him
because I am from him and he sent me.' At this they tried to seize him, BUT NO
ONE LAID A HAND ON HIM, BECAUSE HIS TIME HAD NOT YET COME."
John 7:25-30

The people tried to seize Jesus, but could not lay a hand on him since his time hadn't arrived.

"Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him,
BUT NO ONE LAID A HAND ON HIM. Finally the temple guards went back to the
chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, 'Why didn't you bring him in?' 'NO ONE
EVER SPOKE THE WAY THIS MAN DOES,' the guards declared." John 7:43-46

This passage affirms that Jesus could even control the crowds' intent of seizing him
simply through his preaching! This actually proves that Jesus has the unlimited power to
guide and control the crowds solely by his word.

"All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the
town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. BUT HE WALKED RIGHT
THROUGH THE CROWD AND WENT ON HIS WAY." Luke 4:28-30

This again shows that Christ had power over his surroundings, being able to simply walk
right through the mob without the mob laying a hand on him.

Finally:

"Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and
asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I AM,' Jesus
said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, 'I AM,'
THEY DREW BACK AND FELL TO THE GROUND." John 18:4-6

This passage demonstrates the sovereign power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Interestingly,
it was Jesus' use of the I AM that drove the soldiers to the ground! This clearly shows
that Christ had the ability to destroy these soldiers just by the power of his word. This
was to fulfill the words of Jesus that no one could take his life away:

"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up
again. NO ONE TAKES IT FROM ME, BUT I LAY IT DOWN OF MY OWN ACCORD.
I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received
from my Father." John 10:17-18

If anything, these verses all demonstrate that far from being afraid Jesus was in
complete control over the actions of his enemies and could do to them as he saw fit. So
much for Meherally's smokescreen.

Meherally concludes by quoting John 17:3 and stating:

Finally, can an Unambiguous, Direct and Explicit "Quotation" be superseded by
an Indirect, Implied, Questionable "Deduction"?

Please read John 8: 31-32May Allah Open Your Hearts to accept the Truth spoken by Jesus...

Meherally assumes that since Jesus claimed that the Father is the only true God this
undermines the Trinitarian belief that Jesus is also God. Even though we have shown
elsewhere what this verse actually means IN ITS INTENDED CONTEXT, Meherally refuses to
listen. Therefore, we will answer him ONE FINAL TIME. Let us look at the context of John
17 to see whether in fact Jesus was denying his Deity:

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
'Father, the time has come. Glorify YOUR SON, that YOUR SON may glorify you. For
you granted him authority over all people THAT HE MIGHT GIVE ETERMNAL LIFE TO ALL THOSE
YOU HAVE GIVEN HIM. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing
the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory
I HAD WITH YOU BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN... For I gave them the words you gave me
and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed
that you sent me... All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has
come TO ME through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in
the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-the
name you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one... My prayer is not for them
alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of
them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be IN US
so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that
you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I IN THEM and you in me. May they
be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them
even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I
am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME BEFORE THE
CREATION OF THE WORLD. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know
you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue
to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them AND THAT I
MYSELF MAY BE IN THEM.'" John 17:1-5, 8, 10-11, 20-26

In this passage, Jesus affirms that:

He is God's Son. v. 2

He gives eternal life to all that God gives him. This shows that he is God Almighty
since only God can give eternal life. v. 2

He existed in glory with the Father even before the world. v. 5

He is to be glorified. No creature can make such a demand. vv. 2, 5

All things that belong to God also belong to him. v. 10

He will personally indwell all the believers, a claim of omnipresence. This again
demonstrates that Jesus is God since only God is omnipresent. vv. 20-23, 26

He has been the object of the Father's love even before the creation of the world. v. 24

These points should indicate to the readers that Jesus was not denying his Deity, but
affirming the Father's Deity. Jesus was simply acknowledging what every God-believing Jew
must acknowledge, namely that the Father is the only true God. Since the Bible teaches
that Jesus was both God and man, man as God intended man to be, it should not surprise us
to find the man Christ Jesus acknowledging the Deity of his Father. After all, isn't it true
that the Father is truly God?

Yet, do notice that Jesus did not say that the Father alone is the only true
God, which would essentially be a denial that Christ was also God. This fact is important
to remember since the doctrine of the Trinity teaches that each Person of the Godhead is
the only true God and that the only true God exists as three Persons. This is why one can
refer to a specific Person of the Godhead as the only true God without having to mention
the others.

For instance, it is correct to say that the Father is the only true God, the Son is the
only true God, or the Holy Spirit is the only true God. But it would be incorrect to say
that the Father alone is the only true God, the Son alone is the only true
God, or that the Holy Spirit alone is the only true God.

Hence, to say that the Father is the only true God no more disproves the Deity of
Christ than saying that Jesus is the only true God disproves the Deity of the Father. To
help make this clearer, note what John writes of Jesus:

"In him was life, and that life was the light of men... The true light
that gives light to every man was coming into the world." John 1:4, 9

John calls Jesus the true light. Jesus also referred to himself as the Light:

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
John 8:12

"As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.
Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the
world." John 9:4-5

"Then Jesus told them, 'You are going to have the light just a little while
longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in
the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it,
so that you may become sons of light.' When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid
himself from them." John 12:35-36

Elsewhere John calls God the Light:

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light;
in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in
the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7

Applying Meherally's logic we would be forced to conclude that God cannot be the Light
since Jesus is the true Light. Yet, the New Testament teaches that Jesus can be the true
Light without this nullifying the fact that the Father is also the Light since both exist
as the one true God.

Here is another example:

"My reason is that certain men have slipped in who have long ago been appointed by
the Scriptures to this judgment, ungodly men, turning the undeserved kindness of our God
into an excuse for loose conduct and proving false to our only Sovereign Owner and Lord
(ton monon despoten kai kurion hemon), Jesus Christ." Jude 4

Jesus is said to be our only Sovereign Owner and Lord. Yet elsewhere the Father is said
to be our Sovereign Owner and Lord:

"And look! There was a man in Jerusalem name Sim'e-on, and this man was
righteous and reverent, waiting for Israel's consolation, and holy spirit was upon
him. Furthermore, it had been divinely revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would
not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ (ton christon kuriou). Under
the power of the spirit he now came into the temple; and as the parents brought the young
child Jesus in to do for it according to the law, he himself received it into his arms and
blessed God and said: Now Sovereign Lord (despota), you are letting
your slave go free in peace according to your declaration;" Luke 2:25-29

"After being released they went to their own people and reported what things the
chief priests and the older men had said to them. Upon hearing this they with one accord
raised their voices to God and said: Sovereign Lord (Despota), you are
the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them ...
Even so, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with [men of] nations and with peoples of Israel
were in actuality gathered together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you
anointed, in order to do what things your hand and counsel had foreordained to occur. And
now, Lord (kurie) give attention to their threats, and grant your slaves to
keep speaking your word with all boldness ..." Acts 4:23-24, 27-29

"You are worthy, O Lord (ho kurios), even our God, to receive the
glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your
will they existed and were created." Revelation 4:11

"And they cried out with a loud voice, saying: Until when, Sovereign Lord
(ho despotes) holy and true, are you refraining from judging and avenging our
blood upon those who dwell on the earth?" Revelation 6:10

The Father and the Son both are Sovereign Owner and Lord since what is said of one
Member of the Godhead as far as their divine nature and attributes are concerned can also
be said of the other Members since they all exist as the one God. This can also be seen from
the fact that the very Gospel which records Jesus' words that the Father is the only true
God also calls Christ God:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word
was God." John 1:1

"Thomas said TO HIM, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him,
'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed.' Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his
disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may
have life in his name." John 20:28-31

In light of this, we find that Meherally has failed to refute the Deity of Christ but
has only managed to expose his ignorance of basic NT teaching and Trinitarian theology.

Interestingly, under the Christianity section of his site Meherally has a note stating:

Jesus said:"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and
you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31THINK upon his plea and ask yourself; Am I denying his the explicitly
"Quoted Words"e.g. Jn. 17:3 and holding fast to "Conjectural Texts" e.g. Mt. 1: 23?

Apart from mistakenly attributing the quotation above to John 8:31, when part of the quote
actually comes verse 32, Meherally implies that whereas John 17:3 is explicit, Matthew 1:23
is simply conjectural. Let us quote Matthew and see if it is merely conjectural:

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel-which means, God with us." Matthew 1:20-23

Matthew states that Jesus came to save his people from their sins and that he is God
with us. That Matthew is clearly calling Jesus God can be seen from the fact that Jesus is
going to do what the OT says God will do, namely save his people from their sins:

"O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with
him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins."
Psalm 130:7-8

Furthermore, Matthew concludes his Gospel in the same way he began it, namely that
Jesus is God who continues to remain with us till the end of time:

"Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very
end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Here we have Jesus guaranteeing his followers that he will personally be with them till
the end of the age. The only way for Jesus to be with his followers wherever they go is if
he were omnipresent. Yet the only way for Christ to be omnipresent is if were God since
only God is omnipresent!

Therefore, far from being conjectural, Matthew 1:23 is a clear-cut reference to the
fact that Jesus is THE God who remains with his people forever.

We conclude with two Old Testament passages that expound on the nature of the Messiah
of "Jewish Prophecy":

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be
upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God,
The Father of Eternity (abi ad), The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his
government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his
kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time
on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7

Lest Meherally object to this being a messianic prophecy here is how the Jewish Targums
interpreted it:

"For to us a Son is born, to us a Son is given; and His name is called from of
old, Wonderful, Counselor, Eloha (God, Arabic- Allah), The Mighty, Abiding
to Eternity, THE MESSIAH, because peace shall be multiplied on us in His
days." Targum Jonathan

And:

"Behold the days come, saith the LORD that I will raise unto David a righteous
Branch And this is his name whereby he will be called: JEHOVAH
(YHWH) OUR Righteousness." Jeremiah 23:5-6

Note again what the Targum says:

"What is the name of the KING MESSIAH? R. Abba son of Kohana said, `JEHOVAH',
for it is written: This is HIS name whereby HE shall be called, JEHOVAH OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS." Midrash On Ezekiel 48:35; Targum Jonathan

Hence, the Messiah of "Jewish Prophecy" is none other than the Mighty God
Jehovah who is our righteousness.

This should sufficiently put to rest Meherally's failed attempts of refuting the
Deity of our risen Lord and eternal Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen. Come Lord Jesus, come. We love you forever and ever O Great and Eternal King!